Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 19.9% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 60.6% more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iraq, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.1 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
have 22.3% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 7.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 22.0% more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
Life
be 78.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
have 27.8% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 61.1% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 48.2 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 14.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.4 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 69.7% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 13.5% more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.8% more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.